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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Scarlett Shortt is just an average 18-year-old girl, but then her life takes an extraordinary turn following a road accident. She wakes up to find that the world has twisted beyond recognition - everything is very dark and different now and a bunch of teenagers she's never met before claim to be her best friends. The group can do amazing things, such as fly, read minds and control electricity, and Scarlett is shocked to learn that she has special powers too.

The reluctant superhero soon finds herself caught up in their mission to make the world a better place and overthrow the evil prime minister, Adam Goulden. Will she learn how to use her powers in time to face their dangerous adversaries and will she ever discover exactly where she is and how she got there?

Out Of Time is the first book in a continuing series.

Author bio: Donna Marie Oldfield is a freelance writer from the Peak District, England who has been writing and editing for 15 years. She has worked for titles such as Heat, The Guardian, The Sun and Now as well as copywriting for a wide range of businesses. She likes cats, pasta, comic books and cake.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Title: Enlightened (The EVE Series #2)Author: A. L. WaddingtonPage count: 250My rating: 3 TURTLES: An enjoyable read, but I suggest check out if you like the topic before adding it to your to-read list.

Description:The barrier between Jocelyn Timmons consciousness continues to dissolve as she better understands the two lives she lives and enormity of her newly discovered inherited gift of EVE (Essence Voyager Era) which allows her to fall asleep on one plane of existence and awaken on another as her soul travels nightly.

Present-day Jocelyn uncovers the vast wonderment of the Victorian era but soon learns that life then was not as grand for women as she has read in the classics. Still, she finds comfort in the support of family and friends; a bolstering contrast to her overly hectic, career-oriented family in the twenty-first century. Her love for Jackson Chandler strengthens across time and becomes the light she so desperately needs as the world she has always known no longer makes sense. Yet, the closer she is drawn to Jackson by their mutual ability, the more strain develops amongst those she loves in 2009.

On the other side of Jocelyn’s consciousness in 1878, she remains ignorant of EVE. Her life is crumbling around her, yet she finds herself anxiously awaiting the images that invade her dreams. Jocelyn longs to be the woman she portrays in that world yet her jealousy is unbearable. Miscommunication, betrayal and hidden agendas make trust near impossible. The clearer the visions become the more she questions motives of her closest confidants and foregoes revealing the images that plague her perception. As her life seems to unravel, Jocelyn’s two worlds collide, and she is enlightened as the pieces start to fall into place. But is she strong enough to survive the truth? Is Jackson really her destiny? And can their love transcend time? Find out in Essence’s highly anticipated sequel, Enlightened, Book 2, EVE series.Review:When I finished Essence, the first in the series, I was very excited when I heard that Enlightened was already out. I loved the premise of the book and was excited to find out where Waddington would take it next. Enlightened picks up right where Essence ends as Jocelyn struggles to deal with the barrier between her two worlds coming down. There was a real opportunity for there to be an expansion in the story, and I was really excited for that, but unfortunately, Enlightened falls prey to the ever dreaded Sequel Slump and didn't deliver the goods for me.The main reason thing that was the problem for me that made me give it a 3 instead of a 3.5 like I did Essence was because what I thought would be a minor trial in the story arc ended up being the main conflict. It felt blown way of proportion to me. I won't give that much away, but it involves an argument between the two main lovers, and while there was a valid reason for them to get into a fight about it, Jocelyn dealt with it very immaturely - she even knows she's being immature - but she's too proud to apologize until it's almost too late. Instead of being very romantic and keeping the reader in anticipation like I think this conflict was supposed to, it made Jocelyn lose heroine points in my book and had me reading to see when the main conflict was coming. When it turned out this was the main conflict for the book I was disappointed, because I didn't feel like the plot developed a whole lot overall.I will keep reading this series, because I really do love the premise for this story and want to know what happens next. I don't want this review to discourage people from reading the sequel because there are some interesting developments that I think set up some interesting things for future installments. (plus, the book's a quick read). If you haven't checked out Essence yet I definitely recommend you do so, Enlightened won't make a lick of sense if you haven't read the first one!Check out Enlightened on Amazon

Saturday, August 23, 2014

The author, Vicky Bastedo has been generous enough to offer up an entire box set of of her published works

Description:

Roots Entwine
15-year-old Joaquin can hear a man’s heart beating a half a mile away. He can see in the dark when others are stumbling. One whiff and he can tell what was served for yesterday’s dinner. But then he needs near-coma sleep to heal his brain from the searing pain. He’s a Phoshat, and his ability comes with a price.

Rumors spread about the mysterious Phoshat living in the forest around his family’s estate. Then Kallum comes, the tall stranger who leads a mission team for the king. He’s determined to add a Phoshat to the list of talents that his team boasts. He takes on the responsibility of a teenaged, untested Phoshat, and they set out, but soon it’s evident that Joaquin’s gift is so powerful that it almost swings out of control. As their journey goes on and unconsciousness overwhelms Joaquin over and again, Kallum begins to question whether Joaquin is ready for the dangerous mission that’s growing more intense every day.

Joaquin wonders too. Why was he born different than everyone else?

Roots Entwine is a young adult fantasy adventure. A tree standing alone shades no one, but entwining his life with his team moves Joaquin towards the inevitable choice he must make for them. It’s up to him to decide what the sum of his life will be, and if his inborn ability will be a curse to him or the gift that saves his friends.

Dear Miklos- a romantic adventure, set in 1970's Greece. Written as a tribute to Mary Stewart's The Moonspinners, I really tried to emulate her 'regular girl sees the world, connects with intrigue, and shares the dangerous times with the perfect guy' kind of model. Published by Black Lyon Publishers.Sunrise Meets the Star- a young man leaves his peasant's existence behind, dragged on a journey he didn't expect. The stranger Antaries insists that his father's will cannot be satisfied unless Verone accompanies them. On the way Verone is to be well-fed and protected, doctored and versed. Both of the young men chafe at the Will and Testament that binds them, but they have no idea of the strange fate that twists their lives irrevocably together.

Friday, August 22, 2014

One day, while browsing an antique store in Helena, Montana, photographer Tyler Knott Gregson stumbled upon a vintage Remington typewriter for sale. Standing up and using a page from a broken book he was buying for $2, he typed a poem without thinking, without planning, and without the ability to revise anything.

He fell in love.

Three years and almost one thousand poems later, Tyler is now known as the creator of the Typewriter Series: a striking collection of poems typed onto found scraps of paper or created via blackout method. Chasers of the Light features some of his most insightful and beautifully worded pieces of work—poems that illuminate grand gestures and small glimpses, poems that celebrate the beauty of a life spent chasing the light.Author's WebsiteBuy This Book on Amazon

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Today's feature is Roots Entwine by Victoria Bastedo. Keep your eyes peeled in the next few days for a giveaway of the entire trilogy!

About the book:

15-year-old Joaquin can hear a man’s heart beating a half a mile away. He can see in the dark when others are stumbling. One whiff and he can tell what was served for yesterday’s dinner. But then he needs near-coma sleep to heal his brain from the searing pain. He’s a Phoshat, and his ability comes with a price.

Rumors spread about the mysterious Phoshat living in the forest around his family’s estate. Then Kallum comes, the tall stranger who leads a mission team for the king. He’s determined to add a Phoshat to the list of talents that his team boasts. He takes on the responsibility of a teenaged, untested Phoshat, and they set out, but soon it’s evident that Joaquin’s gift is so powerful that it almost swings out of control. As their journey goes on and unconsciousness overwhelms Joaquin over and again, Kallum begins to question whether Joaquin is ready for the dangerous mission that’s growing more intense every day.

Joaquin wonders too. Why was he born different than everyone else?

Roots Entwine is a young adult fantasy adventure. A tree standing alone shades no one, but entwining his life with his team moves Joaquin towards the inevitable choice he must make for them. It’s up to him to decide what the sum of his life will be, and if his inborn ability will be a curse to him or the gift that saves his friends.

About the Author:

Victoria Bastedo lives in an old house on the river with a small mountain nearby so she can watch the moon travel over it. She enjoys being in a small town near Seattle, WA; to experience nature at home and also travel to the city to visit the Market and buy the occasional Dicks burger! She’s a mother of six children, which has made her by association; a doctor, a teacher, an advice columnist, and a shoulder getting ever more cushioned by time. She has found support in God, her family, and the joy of knowing many friends, including those in her writing group who’ve given her a lot of help and good advice. Thank you for reading!

Alpena, MI (August 20, 2014) – World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Beyond Fate, the highly anticipated conclusion to the“Fate of the Gods” trilogy by Amalia Dillin, will be available in trade paperback and ebook Tuesday, September 16, 2014.

Praise for “Fate of the Gods”:

“You won’t be able to deny that Miss Dillin is a genius … This story was absolutely amazing. It’s like nothing I’ve read before … a complete game changer.”

— Parajunkee

“An amazing fantasy world which succeeds in cleverly incorporating history, mythology and biblical figures. The seamless integration of Norse and Greek gods was inspired and I can’t wait to see where this series heads next.”

— Book Chick City

"Eve is my absolute favorite kind of character. I would absolute recommend reading the entire [Fate of the Gods] series. I can't wait to read more by Amalia Dillin. Definitely worth the read!"

— Good Choice Reading

“One of the more fascinating and haunting books I’ve read in quite some time.”

— JC Andrijeski, Allie’s War

“A beautiful, sweeping story that puts on display the power of every interpretation of love, and the truth of what can be accomplished when people choose peace over strife. I couldn’t put it out of my mind for days.”

— Trisha Leigh, The Last Year

The epic conclusion to the Fate of the Gods trilogy. When Adam left Eve, abandoning his wife and their newborn daughter Elah, he thought he was saving the world. But he hadn't counted on the influence of Michael, twisting Elah's love for her parents into paranoia, or the slow, leaching death of the world she rules. Even with the help of Raphael, Elah is becoming her father's daughter, a master manipulator, and she's determined to have her way, even if it means betraying her own mother's trust.

With Loki and the Aesir gone, Thor thinks he’s protected Eve from the ravages of Ragnarok, but there are forces in play even the gods can’t see. When Thor arrives in Eve's next life, offering her everything she ever wanted from Adam, and more -- eternity without death or rebirth, and the freedom to live outside of her daughter's reach -- Eve is more than tempted. But can the world survive with only Adam to protect it?

Beyond Fatewill be available in trade paperback and ebook via Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Kobo.com, WorldWeaverPress.com, and other online retailers, and for wholesale through Ingram. You can also find Beyond Fate onGoodreads.

Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. Her short stories have been published by Daily Science Fiction and Birdville magazine, and she's also the author of the “Fate of the Gods” series and Honor Among Orcs, the first book in the Orc Saga. Amalia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats — to pull her chariot through the sky, of course.

World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling.

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Today I'd like to welcome Caitlin Sinead Jennings to the blog! I asked her a few questions about her new book Denali in Hiding, and here is what happened.

When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was seven and my mom was proud of my second-grade scribblings.

Which authors inspire you the most?

I read across the board and enjoy a lot of types of books, from literary to fluffy romance. I really enjoy authors who shake things up and give us something a little unexpected. For example, Stephanie Kuehn’s Charm & Strange or Geraldine Brooks’ People of the Book.

How did you get the idea for Denali in Hiding?

There’s a stigma against scientific research into psi/paranormal phenomena. Psi researchers have trouble getting funding, publishing their research, and, I imagine, being taken seriously at cocktail parties. This stigma may be well earned. However, I got to thinking: wouldn’t it be interesting if there were people with psi abilities and they were actually the ones promoting that stigma? They ran an underground campaign to ensure that no serious resources went to psi research because they feared being discovered.

Just to be clear, I don’t think that’s happening. I’m a writer, not a conspiracy theorist. :) I like imagining crazy “what ifs?” and seeing how they unravel on the page.

I put Denali at the center of the story and gave her a sexy psi trainer because I also really like writing kissing scenes. :)

You are choosing to publish Denali in Hiding in a rather unconventional manner, could you talk a bit about that?

I tried to pitch Denali to literary agents, and while I got some encouraging feedback, most agents said YA scifi/paranormal is really hard to sell right now. :( I moved on and wrote more books and one did get me an agent and a two-book deal with Carina Press/Harlequin. Yippee!

But I was still thinking about Denali. When I heard about Wattpad and how it’s best to post novels in a serial format over a few weeks, I thought that could be a perfect way to get Denali out into the world as the book is set up as journal entries. Her entries start on August 27 and end on January 4 and I’ll be posting them in “real time.” So, we’ll see her go through the seasons and holidays all while she tries to prevent something horrible from happening at a January 3 event.

What other projects do you have out or in the works?

Heartsick will come out in early 2015. It’s a New Adult book set in a college town that is grappling with town/gown tensions and a mysterious epidemic. Oh, and it has a sexy cop in it. (Did I mention I like writing kissing scenes?)

Another one of my New Adult novels, Vice, will come out next summer. It’s about the daughter of a vice presidential candidate who has to deal with rumors that her deceased father isn’t biologically related to her.

In three sentences or less, why should people read Denali in Hiding?

If you liked Four in Divergent and have been itching for another trainer/trainee dynamic, I think you’ll like this one. Also, it’s free and you get to experience the plot points at the same time as other readers. Here it is!

Thursday, August 14, 2014

So how this is going to go is I'm going to start with one ARC up for grabs, but every 50 rafflecopter entries I'll add another book (at least until I'm out of ARCs that is).

The book that is up for grabs with 0 entries is:

Palace of Spies (The ARC has the title A Most Dangerous Deception)

a bit about the book:A warning to all young ladies of delicate breeding who wish to embark upon lives of adventure: Don't.

Sixteen-year-old Peggy is a well-bred orphan who is coerced into posing as a lady in waiting at the palace of King George I. Life is grand, until Peggy starts to suspect that the girl she's impersonating might have been murdered. Unless Peggy can discover the truth, she might be doomed to the same terrible fate. But in a court of shadows and intrigue, anyone could be a spy—perhaps even the handsome young artist with whom Peggy is falling in love...

History and mystery spark in this effervescent series debut.8/17 We're past 5o entries, so that means I'm adding another ARC!Wherever You GoA bit about the book:Seventeen-year-old Holly Mullen has felt lost and lonely ever since her boyfriend, Rob, died in a tragic accident. The fact that she has to spend most of her free time caring for her little sister and Alzheimer's-stricken grandfather doesn't help. But Holly has no idea that as she goes about her days, Rob's ghost is watching over her. He isn't happy when he sees his best friend, Jason, reach out to help Holly with her grandfather but as a ghost, he can do nothing to stop it. Is his best friend really falling for his girlfriend?

As Holly wonders whether to open her heart to Jason, the past comes back to haunt her. Her grandfather claims to be communicating with the ghost of Rob. Could the messages he has for Holly be real? And if so, how can the loved ones Rob left behind help his tortured soul make it to the other side?

Told from the perspectives of Holly, Jason, and Rob,Wherever You Go is is a poignant story about making peace with the past, opening your heart to love, and finding the courage to move forward into the light.8/22 We're past 100 entries! and the new ARC is...WinterveilA bit about the book:The dramatic conclusion to Jenna Burtenshaw's YA dark fantasy trilogy and the sequel to Shadowcry and Blackwatch. This stunningly original series will be loved by fans of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series and Leigh Bardugo's Grisha trilogy.

Teen Kate Winters and her powers are unique. She is descended from an ancient and powerful bloodline. She alone can understand Wintercraft, a book of ancient secrets. She alone can stand between the living and the dead as the veil between them crumbles. Kate is being led to the very edge of life and death so that she can call down all the spirits that haunt the graveyard city of Fume. No one can resist the pull of the crumbling veil, and soon the dead will overrun the living. Unless Silas and Edgar can stop her. Edgar is Kate's best friend and her one anchor to the living. But Silas is enigmatic, merciless, and often cruel. Will this villain we love to hate act honorably? Or not?

Jenna Burtenshaw has created not just a magnificent city full of intrigue and darkness, but also a hero and an antihero who will keep you guessing until the end. Who can you trust when good and evil are bound together?8/29 We're past 150 entries! The new ARC is...Double DigitYes, this is the second in the series, but one could easily read it without having read the first and it would still make sense.A bit about it:Digit and John are back for a second book and in way over their heads.

To say eighteen-year-old Farrah Higgins—or Digit—is good at math is a laughable understatement. She’s been cracking codes since childhood, and is finally at home with “her people” at MIT in Cambridge. Her talents are so off the charts that her laptop is under surveillance by both the CIA and an ecoterrorist named Jonas Furnis. So when she thoughtlessly hacks into the Department of Defense’s database, she lands in serious hot water inside and outside the law. Readers will be sad to turn the last page of this suspenseful, sassy, super smart thriller, the sequel to A Girl Named Digit.9/2 We're past 200 entries! Woot! The new ARC is...The Burning SkyJust before the start of Summer Half, in April 1883, a very minor event took place at Eton College, that venerable and illustrious English public school for boys. A sixteen-year-old pupil named Archer Fairfax returned from a three-month absence, caused by a fractured femur, to resume his education.

Almost every word in the preceding sentence is false. Archer Fairfax had not suffered a broken limb. He had never before set foot in Eton. His name was not Archer Fairfax. And he was not, in fact, even a he.

This is the story of a girl who fooled a thousand boys, a boy who fooled an entire country, a partnership that would change the fate of realms, and a power to challenge the greatest tyrant the world had ever known.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Denali in Hiding is going to be a bit different from your average read because starting Aug. 27, the author is going to start posting it "real time" in diary format. It will be as though you are reading the events as they happen in the characters' lives. It is also free to access, all you have to do is sign up for wattpad and bang! a new read for your pleasure.

Description:

Caitlin Sinead Jennings

Seventeen-year-old Denali can lift trucks with her mind and see remote locations on a whim, but these skills won’t save her if the American Psi Council discovers she is trying to prevent a bombing in Washington, DC.

Denali doesn’t want to disobey the hidden society that recruited her. She loves Nashquttin, an island safe haven for psis where she is free to use her mind to fly paintballs at friends and roast marshmallows without a stick. There is nothing more liberating than cracking dead trees over the ocean after a heartbreak (even telekinetic guys can be jerks).

She also trusts the Council. It’s not like they’re pro bomb. They’ve simply learned through centuries of persecution that even well-intentioned psi actions can cause non-psis to wonder, investigate, and react violently in fear.

Denali should listen to the Council. She should avoid a lengthy prison sentence. She should ignore her pesky conscience and forget about seeing that eerie man in a faraway basement with bomb materials and blueprints of the State Department. And she definitely shouldn’t let her strong, strict trainer risk his life to help her.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Alpena, MI (August 12, 2014) – World Weaver Press (Eileen Wiedbrauk, Editor-in-Chief) has announced Blood Chimera, the first novel in a new paranormal mystery series by Jenn Lyons, is available in trade paperback and ebook today, Tuesday, August 12, 2014.

Some ransoms aren’t meant to be paid.Kidnap and Ransom negotiation used to be straightforward. The bad guys kidnap someone, and K&R expert Jackson Pastor negotiates their release, skillfully traversing a maze of bloodthirsty monsters: criminals, terrorists, police, and especially the FBI. But that was before he met real bloodthirsty monsters.

When Jackson Pastor arrives in Los Angeles to help a new client recover his kidnapped wife, he finds himself dropped in the middle of a 500-year-old war between rival European and Mexican vampire clans, a conflict that threatens to escalate into a full-on public gang war. Worse, Jackson hasn’t been brought to Los Angeles to be a negotiator. His new boss wants to turn him into an assassin. With Jackson about to be caught in the middle of a clan war, his only hope of escape may lie with a secret FBI monster-hunting task-force led by a very dangerous, eccentric wizard. Which could be a problem, since Jackson’s a monster himself.

Jenn Lyons lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three cats and a lot of opinions on anything from Sumerian creation myths to the correct way to make a martini. At various points in her life, she has wanted to be an archaeologist, anthropologist, architect, diamond cutter, fashion illustrator, graphic designer, or Batman. Turning from such obvious trades, she is now a video game producer by day, and spends her evenings writing science fiction and fantasy. When not writing, she can be found debating the Oxford comma and Joss Whedon’s oeuvre at various local coffee shops.

World Weaver Press is an independently owned publisher of fantasy, paranormal, and science fiction. We believe in great storytelling.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

My Rating: 3.5 TURTLES: A very enjoyable read, I recommend you check it out.

Description:

Jocelyn Timmons does not believe she is anything special — just an ordinary high school senior, living an ordinary life full of school-work, volleyball and friends. She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Jackson Chandler moved in to the house across the street. His dark wavy hair, green eyes and charismatic personality draws everyone to him. Everyone, but Jocelyn.

Whenever Jackson gets near Jocelyn she feels ill and dizzy. When he touches her, she blacks out and has visions of another life, in another time. As the odd hallucinations evolve and become clearer, she feels a strong pull towards the people she sees there. Frightened, she watches her once stable life begin to crumble around her and she begins to question her own sanity.

Could it be possible that these episodes are actually her own memories of a life she is living somehow, somewhere, some-when? Maybe this is time-travel or some other paranormal mysticism? Our minds often wander, but can our souls?

Review:

Essence is a YA, paranormal, historical romance that I received from the publicist in exchange for an honest review. I was very intrigued by the original premise and the story did not disappoint.

Waddington did a great job creating plots in both parallel timelines as she slowly starts to bring them together. There was momentum to the story all the way up to the end, where the author left me wanting to know what came next. I did not know (or remember?) off the bat that Essence was part of a series, so I was surprised when I was close to the end and the story was nowhere close to a resolution. I figured it out soon enough though, and now am excited and intrigued to see what direction the rest f the series takes.

I liked the story twelfth well enough to give it a solid four, and it was close, but I needed up giving it 3.5 for several main reasons. On if them being that at times there were really clunky or awkward sentences, and I found that I was rereading parts to see if I had read them right. There were also instances where I felt like there could have been more showing instead of telling. The last major thing for me was that I felt the explanation for why Jocelyn is leading two lives was anticlimactic. Most of the novel is leading up to Jocelyn finding out what is happening to her, and when I read to that point, I felt the explanation of the mechanics itself was an afterthought. Almost just saying, "just accept this because it is the premise of the book". This doesn't always bother me, but it did this time. It's possible that all will be made clear in the next installment, but for now it seems a bit inadequate.

Essence is a YA romance with a twist. I haven't come across a thing quite like it before, and am glad I did. I encourage you to check this one out.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Jocelyn Timmons does not believe she is anything
special — just an ordinary high school senior, living an ordinary life full of
school-work, volleyball and friends. She’s about to find out how wrong she is.

Jackson Chandler moved in to the house across
the street. His dark wavy hair, green eyes and charismatic personality draws
everyone to him. Everyone, but Jocelyn.

Whenever Jackson gets near Jocelyn she feels ill
and dizzy. When he touches her, she blacks out and has visions of another life,
in another time. As the odd hallucinations evolve and become clearer, she feels
a strong pull towards the people she sees there. Frightened, she watches her
once stable life begin to crumble around her and she begins to question her own
sanity.

Could it be possible that these episodes are
actually her own memories of a life she is living somehow, somewhere,
some-when? Maybe this is time-travel or some other paranormal mysticism? Our
minds often wander, but can our souls?

Author bio

A.L. Waddington completed her undergraduate
studies at University of Texas Dallas and Indiana University Purdue University
Indianapolis with a BS in Psychology. Angela and her husband, Ty, have a son,
two daughters, a puppy, and an oversized cat. They reside in Indiana.